Heinrich Huebert of Liebenau The 1835 census has clearly added a wealth of new infor— mation about the early Mennonite Brethren families of the are definitely Heinrich is listed as a twenty—four—year-old married son of Molotschna. As some of the other founders welcome Klaas Klaas and Anna Huebert at household #14 in the identied, even more insights will be revealed. We village of Miinsterberg. Also listed are Heinrich's wife any additional information about the other founders so that them and their Agatha, and a two-year-old daughter, also named Agatha. we can increase our knowledge about be a ”gold mine" of There are a large number of others in the household, includ- families. Undoubtedly, the census will historians who are ing three full brothers of Heinrich and one half-brother, plus new information for all Mennonite that still exist two full sisters and two half-sisters. We do not know the seeking answers to the many questions and its inhabitants. circumstances that caused Heinrich and his family to move regarding the Molotschna Colony later to Liebenau. Brethren Abraham Peters of Ladekopp Early Mennonite Abraham Abraham Peters is listed as a twenty-five-year- Membership Lists found in ° old head of household residing at household #27 in Lade- kopp. He moved there in 1831, presumably at the time of his St’ marriage to the Widow Iohann Iohann Martens. Martens died in 1830, and in the household as of 1835 are three sons By Ighn B_ Tgews and two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Martens. We do not imperial knew it any eniidren were born to the Peters marriage The The current microfilming project in the Russian by St. Petersburg entrY tar Mtinsterberg #26 indieates that Abraham Peters archives in St. Petersburg, spearheaded documents for moved rrem there in 1831- He was the sen er an Abraham Christian College, promises a rich supply of The first microfilm reel Peters» but aPParentiY the 5teP-5°n °r lohann lehann Reimer/ future historians and genealogists. for who headed the Mtinsterberg hetiseheid in i835- from this project contained an unexpected surprise researchers interested in the early Mennonite Brethren for that Observations Church. On this reel were two membership lists grouip: the first compiled on February 29, 1860, and the There are a number of interesting conclusions that can be second on lahuary 5, l86l_ founding persons drawn from the above-mentioned entries in the 1835 census. We have always know about some of the First, a surprisingly large number Of the rounders were thanks to documents published by Franz Isaac and Peter M. immigrahh rather than native'berh/ members er the Mei" Friesen.i Our only knowledge of the other earliest Mennonite Qtsehna Settiement indeed’ a significant number aPPear to Brethren members, however, derives from the eighteen and have migrated even atter the 1835 Census Given that the signatories to the secession document of Ianuary 6, 1860, large majority of Molotschna residents were descended from the fifteen additional names attached to the March 30 letter settiers who tame tong betere the testes’ this seems to addressed to the leadership of the Ohrloff and Halbstadt all but one of indicate that the retmders er the Mennonite hrethreh Chtireh churches? These two documents account for were ditterent in this re$Peet rrom the average Meibtsehna the names—]ohann Hubert of Wernersdorf—compiled on In the Mehhehtte the newly-discovered list of February 29, 1860. listed only the Seeehtt there is a detthtte [least eerehy” beht to the ergh’ patriarchal fashion of the day, district officials to believe that teeh tehhders The tetmttmg ramihes were ehtsterea ih the male heads of families, but it seems reasonable e°i°nY/ with °niY the Ladekepp and their wives shared their convictions. The register, while southeast Corner or the provides new Liebenau families outside this close geographical area. When containing mostly known names, nevertheless tehhders appear Previ‘ perspective—the early Mennonite Brethren Church did not we eehsiaer that the malerity er the both male and ously to have been members of the Gnadenfeld Mennonite consist of 25 family heads, but of13O persons, in Christ" like Church’ this makes ehiy the Ladekepp “Outsider” Abraham female. Obviously there were other ”mothers Iohann Claassen), Peters somewhat eehsbtehetts ih his Presehee ih the grehb Katherine Reimer Claassen (the wife of P. M. Friesen.3 We The vihage er Liebenau is khewh te have beeh Pebttiated by some of whose letters were published by can only speculate what role the wives of Abraham Cornel- a hhmber or Ghadehteia Church members discipline Third, the village of Elisabethtal had a clear dominance as sen, Dietrich Klassen or lacob Reimer played in generation of Menrro_ the home of a large number of founders. This is due to some their large families to become the next extent to the close family relationship between the Wiens nite Brethren the brothers and their step-father, Franz Klassen. But the fact The listing of February 29, 1860 clearly delineates moverheht that Abraham Cornelsen and Isaak Koop were also from that demographics of the early Mennonite Brethren the southeastern village makes it clearly a center of early Mennonite Brethren Most of the dissidents were concentrated in Schardau, sehttmeht" villages along the lushanlee River: Elisabethtal, 10 Marienthal, Rudnerweide and Pastwa. Three of the four verY 8TaduallY . Second, the Brethren initiallY constituted a families in Waldheirri and Gnadenfeld are connected with very small movement. Little wonder that district authorities Gottlieb Strauss. His two sons, Friedrich and Johann, signed tried to squelch the dissidents through civil law. the letter of March 19, 1860, while daughters Karolina and The compilers of these documents obviously took some Wilhelmine married David Duerksen and Iacob Reimer liberties with the spelling of personal and village names. The respectively.‘ ”Outposts" like Liebenau and Wernersdorf had original spellings have not been changed in the translation. increased their numbers by 1861, but geographically the 1861 listing shows that the distribution of church members had Nvtes changed little. Two villages — Grossweide, where the Ianuary 6, 1860 signatory Abraham Cornelsen relocated, and 1' Friggslsigi HP; vloi’/Fi:h'_1“e’ Mg?":r';tfE" (Hayfthidltl H- l- Sparrau—were added to the sphere of Mennonite Brethren ??““' H)’ " ,8 er ' neser” '6 _ wmge ‘SC mm” . mtische Bruderschaft in Rassland, 1789-1910 (Halbstadt: Raduga, muence.. Rather astoundmg are the number of famihes m 1911) 189 fr Rudnerweide 2‘ Piriesen, The 1861 compiler specifically commented on seven single 3_ Ibrd” 313' 331/ 355-,_ Mennonites joining the Brethren. He also found it Sig'nifiCI1t 4. See Alan Peters, “Brotherhood and Family: Implications of that the new movement was causing family divisions: three Kinship in Mennonite Brethren History," in P. M. Friesen and His men joined without their families, and a wife joined without History: Understanding Mennonite Brethren Beginnings, ed. Abraham her husband In the Case of Anna Penner, her son Friesen, Perspectives on Mennonite Life and Thought, no. 2 Bernhard already a member in February 1860 obviously (Fresno, Calif.: Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies, 1979), 35-60. -d d - -tu 1 d- tr There has been some speculation that there were two Iohami p1¥r::r:arZ}:(1;;1eauné:;Cra;?ed Omissions in the 1861 list. The Strausses among the early Brethren. The 1860 and 1861 registries would seem to suggest that there was only one. See Iames Urry, original signatories Peter Stobbe, Iakob Wall and Martin "The Seeiel Background re rhe Emergenee er the Mennonite Klassenl as wen as the adherent Jakob Kroeker’ are not Brethren in Nineteenth-Century Russia,” Iournal of Mennonite mentioned. The omissions must have been an oversight on studies 6 (1933); 27_ the part of the volost secretary. Peter Stobbe's signature 5. Friesen, 192, 199, 295, 337, 343, 364. appeared on several official Mennonite Brethren documents 6. Ibid., 192, 199, 202. See also John B. Toews, ed. and trans., dating from 1860 to 1863. Similarly, Jakob Wall,° Martin "Mennonite Brethren Founders Relate Their Conversion," Direction Klassen7 and Iakob Kroeker“ likewise continued to be active. 23 (Fall 1994)‘ 31'37- The 1861 compilation should therefore list 34 families and 7' Fr_‘eSe“' 191' 199' 295' 338' 350' 8. Ibid., 199, 295, 338, 343. 190 people. These _early Bfrethren hstmgs posslbly _a'H0‘:V two irther Iohn B. Toews is Professor of Church History and Anabaptist Studies at observations. First, the early Brethren primarily functioned Regent College, Vancouver’ British Column-a_ in the context of village house churches, which expanded Names of the Members of the Molotschna Mennonite District who have left the Existing Church Compiled on February 29, 1860 Name and place of residence Place of official registry N0. of families Male Female Total Elisabeththal l Abraham Comelsen Grossweide Isaak Coop Elisabeththal Comelius Wiens Elisabeththal Franz Klaassen Rudnerweide Abraham Wiens Elisabeththal Lichtfelde Martin Classen Fiirstenau 1 3 3 6 Abraham Wiens Muntau 1 2 1 3 Iakob Kroeker Blumstein 1 4 3 7 Schardau Daniel Hoppe not registered 1 1 5 6 11 >-1»-\r-r—\>—\ I\)<.»J|\J0100 OJ»-\NNN O\\O»J>U1>J> Name and place of residence Place of official registry No. of families Male Female Total Rudnerweide Iacob Bekker Waldheim 1 1 1 2 Pastwa Isaak Regier Rudnerweide 1 2 2 4 Andreas Voth Walheim 1 2 1 3 Iacob Wall Lichtfelde 1 3 2 5 Liebenau Iohann Klaassen Sparau 1 4 1 5 Heinrich Huebert Miinsterberg 1 2 2 4 Ladekop Peter Stobbe Shardau 1 2 1 3 Abraham Peters Blumenort 1 1 . 3 4 Marienthal Dietrich Klassen Sparau 1 6 5 11 Schardau August Strauss Gnadenfeld 1 1 2 3 Waldheim Gottlieb Strauss Johann Strauss Waldheim 1 3 2 5 Friedrich Straus David Durksen Lichtenau 1 1 3 4 Gnadenfeld Iacob Reimer Schonsee 1 7 3 10 Bernhard Penner Gnadenfeld 1 5 2 7 Berdjansk Wilhelm Bartel Gnadenfeld 1 2 5 7 Wernersdorf Iohann Hubert Wernersdorf 1 2 1 3 Total 25 72 58 130 Note: In addition to those mentioned here, the movement is said to consist of additional members, concerning whom the district office awaits further information.